Brown Sugar Blueberries and Cream Coffee Cake

I have so much to say about this coffee cake, about this recipe and the baking process! Where to begin? Often, we see photos on social media or on food blogs and everything looks perfect from the way the food is presented and staged right down to how the cookie crumbles. Every now and then I have a recipe I’m developing that does not translate well from my mind to the oven and back again. This coffee cake was initially one of those bakes for me. I set out to perfect an old coffee cake recipe of mine that had a great base but lacked texture and harmonious flavor. I have lost count of exactly how many attempts were made to create what is now the most incredible coffee cake I’ve ever tasted.

I share this in full transparency because I think it’s important to share that much of baking is trial and error. I’m no expert, I’m not professionally trained and much of my time is spent learning along the way in my baking. During this process of getting this recipe to a point where I was more than happy with it, a variety of things were altered and switched out and a lot went wrong. From the size of the pan to the baking time to the type of nuts that were used; this has proven to be one of the most challenging bakes I’ve had in quite some time. Anyway, all of this to say, I’ve done the work for you and now I’m here to share this recipe with you, friends. The recipe can be found below along with all the tips and tricks to make this the most incredible coffee cake you’ve ever tasted too!

Let’s get baking!

BROWN SUGAR BLUEBERRIES AND CREAM COFFEE CAKE

INGREDIENTS

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened

2 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoon ground pure vanilla extract

2 large eggs, at room temperature

1 ¾ cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 ¼ cups sour cream

1 cup fresh blueberries

For the topping:

½ cup light brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup chopped walnuts, optional

2 tablespoons powdered sugar, for dusting

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325°. Prepare Bundt or tube pan by brushing it with oil. Set aside.

In a small bowl, mix topping ingredients together. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, or a large bowl using a handheld mixer, cream butter and sugar until it becomes light and fluffy, between 5 and 7 minutes. Add in vanilla extract and mix well. Add eggs, one at a time.

In a separate bowl, sift flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Whisk dry ingredients to fully combine. Slowly add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating between the sour cream. Once fully combined, gently fold in blueberries into batter.

Pour half of the batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle half of the topping mixture onto the batter. Pour remaining batter into pan, spreading evenly when necessary, using a spatula. Use the remaining topping mixture to sprinkle over the top of the batter. Bake for 1 hour and up to another 15 minutes (this will depend on your oven). Remove from oven and allow to cool for up to 30 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack or flat surface. Once cooled, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Some tips on making this coffee cake:

• You’ll need a standard size Bundt pan (a 10 to 12 cup capacity) however if you have a Bundt pan with a 15-cup capacity, even better. This coffee cake needs some room so any pan that is smaller is a no-go and your coffee cake will be underbaked on the inside and possibly burnt on the outside. I tried using multiple Bundt pans and other molds for this recipe and I’ve found that a standard Bundt or a standard 9x3 inch tube pan with a 12-cup capacity works best.

• You’ll want your butter to be softened as this will help the butter to cream well with the sugar. There is a fair amount of sugar in this recipe but keep in mind that this is good sized coffee cake and the sugar will distribute well.

• Using eggs at room temperature will help the batter to combine more evenly.

• To prepare your pan, generously coat the pan using oil (or cooking spray). I don’t recommend greasing the pan with butter as this will cause the outside of the cake to brown and become too dark.

• For an easy release, allow the cake to cool for about 20 to 30 minutes but do not let it cool completely in the pan. While the pan is still warm to the touch, invert it quickly onto the wire rack of a flat surface.